Send and Receive RCS Messages on iPhone

[scorpio vega]

I still refuse to use RCS. I couldn’t care less if it makes talking to android ppl easier.

I have also made sure my friends turn theirs off so we either do iMessage or sms.

I’m even more lucky that I am on a carrier who doesn’t support RCS yet.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I still refuse to use RCS. I couldn’t care less if it makes talking to android ppl easier.

I have also made sure my friends turn theirs off so we either do iMessage or sms.

I’m even more lucky that I am on a carrier who doesn’t support RCS yet.

Why would you refuse to utilize a standard as part of a protocol that is totally transparent to you?

 

[HazeAndHahmahneez]

Cuz he can, that’s why…and hopefully to say in his own words, “get bent google”.

Yeah, take a hike all the way outta heah

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Cuz he can, that’s why…and hopefully to say in his own words, “get bent google”.

Yeah, take a hike all the way outta heah

Thanks for the “explanation”, but ahem this has nothing to do with Google

 

[Biro]

Why would you refuse to utilize a standard as part of a protocol that is totally transparent to you?

Because it is unreliable. If RCS can’t be counted on, it might as well not exist.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Because it is unreliable. If RCS can’t be counted on, it might as well not exist.

No less reliable than without RCS 🤷‍♂️

 

[Biro]

No less reliable than without RCS 🤷‍♂️

Not true… at least not for me nor most of the people I communicate with.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Not true… at least not for me nor most of the people I communicate with.

In what way? As a user you don’t need to know whether someone has RCS or not. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Biro]

In what way? As a user you don’t need to know whether someone has RCS or not. 🤷‍♂️

As I’ve posted a few times before on other strings, RCS messages often disappear into the ether and are never received. Both ingoing and outgoing. But not always. I have friends and relatives - who own both iPhones and Android phones - who report the same thing. And not only when iPhones and Androids are trying to communicate. Sometimes it’s iPhone-to-iPhone and Android-to-Android. But not always. If RCS message can’t get through they are supposed to default to SMS. Sometimes they do. But not always. There are quite a few people here on Mac Rumors who report the same thing. I finally gave up and just turned off RCS.

EDIT: And, yes, we’re all on networks that are supposed to support RCS - Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

🤷‍♂️ Not in my experience.

 

[scorpio vega]

Why would you refuse to utilize a standard as part of a protocol that is totally transparent to you?

Because I have no issue with sms and I don’t care about android users.

 

[scorpio vega]

As I’ve posted a few times before on other strings, RCS messages often disappear into the ether and are never received. Both ingoing and outgoing. But not always. I have friends and relatives - who own both iPhones and Android phones - who report the same thing. And not only when iPhones and Androids are trying to communicate. Sometimes it’s iPhone-to-iPhone and Android-to-Android. But not always. If RCS message can’t get through they are supposed to default to SMS. Sometimes they do. But not always. There are quite a few people here on Mac Rumors who report the same thing. I finally gave up and just turned off RCS.

EDIT: And, yes, we’re all on networks that are supposed to support RCS - Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

It’s unreliable delivery is the main reason I dislike it.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

It’s unreliable delivery is the main reason I dislike it.

So you have used it then? 🤷‍♂️

 

[scorpio vega]

So you have used it then? 🤷‍♂️

I never said I hadn’t.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Ok, so only just released and immediately discounted. Right got it.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I have an Android phone and I'd say at least 75% of my iPhone contacts have RCS now so it appears like adoption is going pretty well. It definitely improves the texting experience.

 

[MacBookPro88]

I love it. Thanks Tim Apple for finally letting me text Android users without an error message every other time.

 

[sdf]

RCS, while offering improved encryption compared to traditional SMS, doesn't quite reach the same level of security as iMessage.

A system is secure or not.

 

[DakotaGuy]

A system is secure or not.

RCS is encrypted in transit so it's better than SMS which sends plain text that can easily be intercepted and read. With that said, E2E encryption needs to be added to the universal profile. I believe in time it will be.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

A system is secure or not.

Ahem no, it isn't. There are many layers to it. Security is like an onion.

RCS is encrypted in transit so it's better than SMS which sends plain text that can easily be intercepted and read. With that said, E2E encryption needs to be added to the universal profile. I believe in time it will be.

And this nicely proofs it. Naturally, everyone is intercepting everyone else's SMS messages as it "...can easily be intercepted and read." Or perhaps it is not that easily?

 

[DakotaGuy]

Ahem no, it isn't. There are many layers to it. Security is like an onion.

And this nicely proofs it. Naturally, everyone is intercepting everyone else's SMS messages as it "...can easily be intercepted and read." Or perhaps it is not that easily?

Ok I'll admit the likelihood of someone intercepting a plain text SMS and reading it is probably virtually 0%, but I was just saying it could be done.

On my Samsung Galaxy almost every texting thread I have has moved over to RCS as people have updated. The only way I can tell if it's an Android or iPhone is if it's E2E RCS or just RCS. It works fine either way and it's nice to have more functionality when I text people or they text me.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Ok I'll admit the likelihood of someone intercepting a plain text SMS and reading it is probably virtually 0%, but I was just saying it could be done.

There is a big difference between a hypothetical could be done and an actual method of doing it. By the same token (not literally of course) you can intercept an RCS message. But the group who most likely can intercept is also the group that doesn’t have to worry about that 🤷‍♂️

On my Samsung Galaxy almost every texting thread I have has moved over to RCS as people have updated. The only way I can tell if it's an Android or iPhone is if it's E2E RCS or just RCS. It works fine either way and it's nice to have more functionality when I text people or they text me.

Totally agreed on that one. I don’t get why some are against this seamless enhancement.

 

[Biro]

I don’t get why some are against this seamless enhancement.

I’m not against it. In fact, I upgraded to iOS 18 specifically to get it. I have just found that it hasn’t been reliable for me and people I know. I’ll try it again down the road a bit.

EDIT: And I may have finally found the problem with RCS - at least for me specifically. It may be T-Mobile’s RCS servers. I stumbled on this Reddit discussion from earlier this year, which I’ve never seen befor:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/1b7h05x/psa_for_those_experiencing_issues_with_rcs

 

[sdf]

RCS is encrypted in transit so it's better than SMS which sends plain text that can easily be intercepted and read. With that said, E2E encryption needs to be added to the universal profile. I believe in time it will be.

All true, but I don't think it really matters. If your cell company wants to use the contents of RCS encrypted to a lesser standard than E2E they'll just make a deal with someone who does have the data (like Google) to use it without "having it."

Yes, E2E will fix this when it's added to the general case (along with a secure key storage system), and I hope that comes. But it's not there now.